More than 100 Chachapoyas vestiges discovered in northern Peru

The World Monuments Fund (WMF) announced an important discovery on the Gran Pajatén site, nestled in Río Abiseo National Park, in northern Peru. More than 100 new archaeological vestiges have been identified, an advance for the knowledge of the Chachapoya civilization, nicknamed “the people of the cloud forest” because their territory was between 2,000 and 3,000 meters above sea level. So far, 26 structures were known in this area, explored for the first time in the 1980s.

This discovery was made possible thanks to the use of advanced technologies such as LIDAR, photogrammetry and topographic surveys, allowing researchers to map the site precisely despite dense vegetation. The results reveal that Gran Pajatén constituted a vast network of interconnected villages and monuments, testifying to a more complex social and architectural organization than supposed.

Gran Pajatén is famous for its circular stone buildings, its mosaics, its friezes in high relief and its views of the Andean forest. Recent research confirms a chachapoya occupation from the 14th century, even older, and the discovery of old paths connecting the site to other centers reinforces the idea of ​​a hierarchical and well structured territory.

The discovery of Gran Pajatén thus sheds light on a new day the Chachapoya civilization, long stayed in the shadow of the Incas. This developed between the 7th and 16th century in the Andes of northeast of Peru and was distinguished by its stone architecture, in particular its circular buildings, its fortresses like Kuélap, and its mausoleums hanging on the cliffs. The mummies were placed on the mountainside, the deceased thus symbolically ensuring the valley. Despite their resistance, the Chachapoyas were conquered by the Incas at the end of the 15th century shortly before the arrival of Europeans

In recent years, discoveries have followed one another in Peru: 4,000-year-old temples uncovered in the North West, burials of high-ranking women revealing the central role of female elites in Caral Society 5,000 years ago, or pyramidal cities of Caral Civilization (between the 20th and the 18th century BC). These finds show that Peruvian history is not limited to the Inca Empire: it is made of a mosaic of cultures, religious, social structures and architectures.

To preserve this exceptional heritage and the fragile ecosystem of the Río Abiseo park, tourist access to Gran Pajatén remains strictly limited. The public will however be able to discover the new discoveries during a free exhibition at the Lima Art Museum (Mali) from May 21 to June 18, 2025.